Why Did I Black Out Solo at the Taylor Swift Concert?

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THE LETTER

Dear ELLE.com,

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I'm a 30-year-old woman who enjoys partying responsibly with her friends. A few weeks ago, however, I attended the Taylor Swift concert and, after a considerable amount of white wine and beer, blacked out for large portions of the evening. The thing is—because my friend was documenting the whole evening―there is footage of me talking, dancing, laughing, and singing along with my favorite songs. But I remember nothing! Are there certain people who are more prone to blacking out than others? Are we blacked out in the moment, or does the memory loss come later? None of my friends blacked out. What happened?―Stumped in Swiftland

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FIRST OPINION

"What you are describing as a 'blackout' is actually the result of our brains' inability to form new memories. This condition is known as anterograde amnesia, which can be caused by medications, trauma, and, yes, drinking a lot of alcohol. And it is true that certain people are more prone to 'blacking out' than others. Alcohol is converted into safer metabolites by enzymes in our liver. The amount of enzyme we produce, also known as alcohol dehydrogenase, is largely determined by our genetics. Therefore, how drunk we are, or how high or low our blood alcohol levels are, is determined by both the amount of alcohol one consumes and our body's ability to break it down. Other factors that influence our blood alcohol levels: body mass and caloric intake. I would suggest tailoring, even reducing, your alcohol consumption to help prevent blackouts. Also, don't be afraid to drink plenty of water while engaging in a night of drinking. It will not only help regulate your blood alcohol levels, but reduce morning hangovers."

Levine is a Primary Care Physician at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

SECOND OPINION

"Sounds like you had a fun time at the Taylor Swift concert. Unfortunately, sometimes alcohol can get the best of us. Memory impairment tends to happen when our blood alcohol content (BAC) reaches a certain threshold. Women typically have a lower threshold than men. When drinks start to pile up, your overall BAC starts to quickly rise. Once you reach about six-ish drinks (or 0.2 BAC) for an average weight woman, the side effects you talk about start to occur and 'blackouts' are very likely. Since we are all have different genetic makeup, different sizes, different BMI's, different digestion, and different heritage, we can have alterations in how we show our BAC outwardly. Some people do have alcohol allergies and intolerance as well as diseases, such as liver pathology, that can impair their processing of alcohol and make them much higher risk for the side effects. Memory loss is a combined effect, but mostly happens after the fact, while you are sleeping off that epic evening."